In 1992, Democratic strategist James Carville said the economy was the only important issue in that year’s presidential campaign. He put it succinctly: “It’s the economy, stupid.”

That blunt Carvillism became a poster in Bill Clinton campaign offices throughout the land.

Well, dust off Carville’s slogan. It’s time to use those posters again — this time on the Republican side in the Illinois governor’s race.

That should give Gov. Pat Quinn nightmares.

For some time now, the Illinois Republican Party has been split between the fiscally conservative-socially moderate business wing, and the all-conservative social wing. If the wings can’t unite around the GOP nominee, the Democrats win.

An example of this split occurred in 2002, when the GOP candidate for governor was establishment Republican Jim Ryan, the attorney general. Heck, he wasn’t even a social liberal. He had defeated social conservative Patrick O’Malley, a suburban state senator, in the spring primary that year. O’Malley didn’t rally his troops behind Ryan, who lost to Democrat Rod Blagojevich.

If only the GOP had been able to unite around Jim Ryan, Illinois might have been spared the national humiliation of having as governor the man now known as federal prisoner 40892-424, who followed governor and former federal prisoner 16627-424, aka Republican George Ryan.

Here’s what has been true about the two political parties, I mean in addition to the infection of corruption. The Democrats rely on their core constituencies — government employee unions, the United Auto Workers, black church congregations, liberal activists — to walk the precincts and get out the vote.

That kind of work is beneath most Republicans, who “have people who do that.” And the people they have are the evangelical Christians who are passionate about issues like opposition to abortion, gay marriage and the breakup of the traditional family. Give them a candidate who fits their views on these core issues and they’ll walk precincts, make phone calls, take people to the polls, whatever it takes. They aren’t enthused by Republicans who are lukewarm on those issues and don’t work hard for them.

This year, however, that stereotype may not apply on the GOP side, Maybe the party that won Illinois governorships from 1976 through 1998 finally is ready to unite around a core issue — “It’s the economy, stupid.”

I talked Monday with Kim Gouker, an old friend who is chairman of the Ogle County Board. He’s a longtime conservative activist who cares passionately about social issues. I asked him why he’s supporting Rauner, the social liberal.

Page 2 of 2 - “Having a job is a family issue, too. That’s kind of the way I look at it. I’m not excited with his stands on social issues, but I’ve been to a couple of his events, and I see (fixing the economy) as a family issue as well,” said Gouker.

Socially conservative GOP activist Jan Klaas made a similar comment Monday in Georgette Braun’s column about a women’s luncheon for Rauner. About women in the workplace, Klaas told Geo, “Their income is down; their job opportunities are down. ... If we don’t do something soon. ... Well, it’s motivating.”

This is the same Jan Klaas who, just a few years ago, was working to defeat state Sen. Dave Syverson, R-Rockford, for not being sufficiently conservative on social issues — Dave’s been a longtime advocate of a gambling casino for Rockford.